Taxonomy and nomenclature[edit source | editbeta]

Originally described in 1822 as Agaricus indigo by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz, the [4] species was later transferred to the genusLactarius in 1838 by the Swede Elias Magnus Fries. German [2] botanist Otto Kuntze called it Lactifluus indigo in his 1891 treatise Revisio Generum Plantarum, but the suggested name change was not adopted by others. Hesler and Smith in their 1960 study of North American species ofLactarius defined L. indigo as the type species of subsection Caerulei, a group [5] characterized by blue latex and a sticky, blue cap. In 1979, they revised their opinions on the organization of subdivisions in the genus Lactarius, and instead placed L. indigo in subgenus Lactarius based on the color of latex, and the subsequent color changes [6] observed after exposure to air. As they explained: The gradual development of blue to violet pigmentation as one progresses from species to species is an interesting phenomenon deserving further study. The climax is reached in L. indigo which is blue throughout. L. chelidonium and its variety chelidonioides, L. paradoxus, and L. hemicyaneus may be considered as mileposts along the road to L. indigo.
[7] [8] [3]

The specific epithet indigo is derived from the Latin word meaning "indigo blue". Its names in the [9] [8] English vernacular include the "indigo milk cap", the "indigo Lactarius", the "blue milk [10] [11] mushroom", and the "blue Lactarius". In central Mexico, it is known as ail, azul, hongo azul, zuin, [12] andzuine; it is also called quexque (meaning "blue") in Veracruz and Puebla.

Description[edit source | editbeta]

Like many other mushrooms, Lactarius indigo develops from a nodule, or pinhead, that forms within the underground mycelium, a mass of threadlike fungal cells called hyphae that make up the bulk of the organism. Under appropriate environmental conditions of temperature, humidity, and nutrient availability, the visible reproductive structures (fruit bodies) are formed. The cap of the fruit body, measuring between 515 cm (2.05.9 in) in diameter, is initially convex and later develops a central depression; in age it becomes even more deeply depressed, becoming somewhat funnel-shaped as the edge of the cap lifts [13] upward. The margin of the cap is rolled inwards when young, but unrolls and elevates as it matures. The cap surface is indigo blue when fresh, but fades to a paler grayish- or silvery-blue, sometimes with greenish splotches. It is often zonate: marked with concentric lines that form alternating pale and darker zones, and the cap may have dark blue spots, especially towards the edge. Young caps are sticky to the [14] touch.

Overhead view of caps found in Guadalajara, Mexico

The cap margin is rolled inwards in young specimens.

The flesh is pallid to bluish in color, slowly turning greenish after being exposed to air; its taste is mild to slightly acrid. The flesh of the entire mushroom is brittle, and the stem, if bent sufficiently, will snap open [15] cleanly. The latex exuded from injured tissue is indigo blue, and stains the wounded tissue greenish; [8] like the flesh, the latex has a mild taste. Lactarius indigo is noted for not producing as much latex as [16] [17] other Lactarius species, and older specimens in particular may be too dried out to produce any latex. The gills of the mushroom range from adnate (squarely attached to the stem) to slightly decurrent (running down the length of the stem), and crowded close together. Their color is an indigo blue, becoming paler with age or staining green with damage. The stem is 26 cm (0.82.4 in) tall by 12.5 cm (0.41.0 in) thick, and the same diameter throughout or sometimes narrowed at base. Its color is indigo blue to silvery- or grayish blue. The interior of the stem is solid and firm initially, but [9] develops a hollow with age. Like the cap, it is initially sticky or slimy to the touch when young, but soon [18] dries out. Its attachment to the cap is usually in a central position, although it may also be off[19] [20] center. Fruit bodies of L. indigo have no distinguishable odor. Lactarius indigo var. diminutivus (the "smaller indigo milk cap") is a smaller variant of the mushroom, with a cap diameter between 37 cm (1.22.8 in), and a stem that is 1.54 cm (0.61.6 in) long and 0.31 cm [21] [20] (0.10.4 in) thick. It is often seen in Virginia. Hesler and Smith, who first described the variant based on specimens found in Brazoria County, Texas, described its typical habitat as "along [the] sides of a [22] muddy ditch under grasses and weeds, [with] loblolly pinenearby".

Microscopic features[edit source | editbeta]

When viewed in mass, as in a spore print, the spores appear cream to yellow colored. Viewed with a light microscope, the spores are translucent (hyaline), elliptical to nearly spherical in shape, [8] with amyloid warts, and have dimensions of 79 by 5.57.5 m. Scanning electron [12] microscopy reveals reticulations on the spore surface. Thehymenium is the spore-producing tissue layer of the fruit body, and consists of hyphae that extend into the gills and terminate as end cells. Various cell types can be observed in the hymenium, and the cells have microscopic characteristics that may be used to help identify or distinguish species in cases where the macroscopic characters may be ambiguous. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia, are 4-spored and measure 3745 m long by 810 m [23] wide at the thickest point. Cystidia are terminal cells of hyphae in the hymenium which do not produce spores, and function in aiding spore dispersal, and maintaining favorable humidity around developing [24] spores. The pleurocystidia are cystidia that are found on the face of a gill; they are 4056 by 6.48 m, roughly spindle-shaped, and have a constricted apex. The cheilocystidialocated on the edge of a gill [12] are abundant, and are 4045.6 by 5.67.2 m.
[8][9]

The "milk", or latex, is indigo blue.

Similar species[edit source | editbeta]

The characteristic blue color of the fruiting body and the latex make this species easily recognizable. Other Lactarius species with some blue color include the "silver-blue milky" (L. paradoxus), found in [20] eastern North America, which has a grayish-blue cap when young, but it has reddish-brown to purplebrown latex and gills. L. chelidonium has a yellowish to dingy yellow-brown to bluish-gray cap and yellowish to brown latex. L. quieticolor has blue-c